Hockey fans may not be asking if the Merritt Centennials won any games during their four-game road trip, but instead, how much they lost by.

The Cents must not have expected to be walking into a gauntlet as they stepped off the bus in Nanaimo last Wednesday, the location of their first of four games in five nights.

The Nanaimo Clippers scored eight goals, the most they've scored in a game this season, defeating the Cents who were winless on the road going into the affair.

“We get a couple scored on us and hit a bit of a panic button,” said assistant coach Luke Pierce.

The Clippers' recently acquired forward, Matt Ius racked up three points, scoring one of eight goals by eight different players on the night.

Goaltender Cole Holowenko was busy as usual facing 54 shots and turning aside 46 of them.

“They start to try and take on too much themselves and get away from our systems,” explained Pierce.

“It makes it tough to keep the puck out of your net when were not all on one page here.”

The Centennials continue to struggle defensively. They have lost by four goals or more in 13 of their 28 games played this season and still have the highest goals against in the BCHL at 166.

Pierce says part of the defensive problem is failing to clear pucks in their own end and “being too cute” with the puck in the defensive zone.

The following two games in Cowichan Valley and Victoria were very much the same. The Cents finished the first period with the lead in both games but failed to clamp down defensively and hold on to the lead.

The Cents managed to hold Cowichan Valley to just 31 shots on Holowenko, who was later relieved by Riley Wall.

A four-goal rally by the Capitals in the second period from former Centennial Curtis Gedig, Jackson Garrett, Anthony Perdicaro, and Rajan Sidhu, put the game in the bag by the second intermission.

The Capitals added to goals in the third to win 6-3.

“I bet that was Cowichan's best game of the year,” said Pierce.

Riley Wall stopped 42 of 49 shots in the Cents 7-4 loss to Victoria the following night in front of 1600 fans at Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria.

One glimmer of light for the Cents was a two-goal effort by forward Jeff Jones, who was also named the third star of the game.

“I think the line of Alex Macmillan, Colton Sobchak and Andrew Pickering really started to come out and develop some good chemistry and they played well the rest of the weekend

The Cents wrapped up their road trip with a tilt with Alberni Valley, a team Pierce says is one of the hardest working in the league.

The game was not what one would expect from a team on the end of a long road trip. Late goals by Jordan Soquila and Pickering as well as solid goaltending from Riley Wall allowed the Cents to pull within one goal of tying the game but it wasn't enough. Alberni Valley held on to win 3-2 and the Cents continue their losing slump on the road as well as a five game losing streak.

“The second and third period I thought we had total control of,” said Pierce.

“Some questionable penalties on our part stymied our chances for a comeback.”

The Cents return to the ice tonight against last place Williams Lake. The Trail Smoke Eaters have now passed the Cents for the seventh spot in the interior conference. The Cents are one spot out of the last playoff berth, which is currently held by Trail.